BELMONT STAKES: 'Rags' Rewards Filly Fanatics: She Edges Preakness Champ Curlin By a Head in Breathl

Jun 10, 08:14 AM

Current Headlines: By Paul Moran, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Jun. 10--She began a mile-and-a-half journey in the 139th Belmont Stakes on her knees in the first stride and staring at 102 years of history. Jockey John Velazquez pulled hard at the reins. "My heart stopped," he said.

Then, fortune turned around.

A stumbling start, a half-dozen colts, a painfully slow quarter and more than a century of male dominance of the Belmont would not stop this filly.

A mile and a quarter later, Rags to Riches had swept boldly past five of her male opponents while four wide entering the Belmont Park stretch and had the heavily favored Preakness winner, Curlin, by the throat. She would not let go.

Curlin, his courage established in a bitter battle with Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the Preakness three weeks ago, fought valiantly yesterday but Rags to Riches, once she seized a narrow advantage, gave no quarter.

The most hard-bitten horseplayers on Earth cheered the filly at every stride and her wildly successful trainer, long denied in the Triple Crown series, pumped a fist at the sky and yelled, "Come on, baby."

Shoulder to shoulder, Rags to Riches and Curlin ran the last quarter-mile of the Belmont in less than 24 seconds, a furious finish in a race of this length and at the wire, having covered 12 furlongs in 2:28.74, the filly was a breathless head in front.

"I was where I wanted to be the whole race," said Robby Albarado, who rode Curlin. "I got through on the inside at the quarter pole, which was perfect, and I got a chance to get a breather. They came home fast and he never stopped. I thought at one point, he could come back and get her, but she's tough. She's an amazing filly."

Only two fillies before Rags to Riches had won the Belmont -- Ruthless in 1867, and Tanya in 1905 -- but it is difficult to imagine that they overcame more. She righted herself quickly after the stumbling start, raced wide into the first turn and remained wide upon arrival at the second bend. The pace unfolded in epic chapters, the first half-mile in 50.14 seconds, slowest first half-mile in a Belmont since 1995. CP West, not Hard Spun, led the glacial procession.

After a mile in 1:40.23, Curlin was fourth and Rags to Riches fifth. From there, the point at which they launched their late runs, the Belmont came down to the filly who had won the Kentucky Oaks on the eve of the Derby versus the Preakness winner.

In a 48.51-second final half-mile, Rags to Riches established herself as the best female thoroughbred to race in this country since Personal Ensign, who retired undefeated in 13 starts at the end of 1988.

"It's a special feeling no matter when you do it," said Pletcher, whose first 28 starters in Triple Crown races had been unanimous in defeat and who decided to start Rags to Riches in the Belmont only four days before the race. "This is pretty special when you look at the historical perspective. You look at the statistics all week. You know that no filly has won it in 102 years. That's pretty intimidating stuff. We're fortunate to get it done."

Others emerged frustrated from the Belmont, notably Larry Jones, who trains Hard Spun, second in the Kentucky Derby after setting a suicidal pace, and third in the Preakness, in which he was embroiled in unreasonably fast fractions and fourth yesterday with Garrett Gomez riding while never involved in the pace.

"The pace was very slow. I thought that was our game plan leaving the paddock: to have these kind of fractions but be in front doing it," Jones lamented. "Apparently, we had a miscommunication somewhere."

Gomez, who until yesterday was Rags to Riches' regular rider but committed to Hard Spun while Pletcher wrestled with the Belmont decision, saw the race differently.

"At the half-mile pole, I felt I was in a great spot," he said. "At the three-eighths pole, I thought I was money. When it was time for sprinting, he just didn't have the turn of foot the other two had."

The Belmont may well not be the last time Rags to Riches faces the opposite sex.

"We may show up [against females] in the Coaching Club and Alabama," Pletcher said, "or we may show up in the Haskell or Travers."

Said co-owner Michael Tabor: "We'll take on the boys whenever we feel it's appropriate."

THE PAYOUTS

7 Rags To Riches 10.60 4.40 3.20

3 Curlin 3.00 2.30

2 Tiago 3.70

$2 EXACTA 7-3 PAID $25.20

$2 TRIFECTA 7-3-2 Paid $131.50

$2 SUPERFECTA 7-3-2-6 PAID $242.50

HOW FILLIES HAVE FARED

Since Tanya was first and Funders seventh in the 1905 Belmont Stakes, only 10 fillies have started in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Year Name Odds Finish/field

1913 Flying Fairy 15-1 3rd of 4

1923 Miss Smith 30-1 8th of 8

1927 Flambino 10-1 3rd of 6

1932 Laughing Queen 5-1* 10th of 11

1954 Riverina 3-1* 7th of 13

1980 Genuine Risk 5-1 2nd of 10

1988 Winning Colors 2-1 6th of 6

1996 My Flag 7-1 3rd of 14

1999 Silverbulletday 5-1 7th of 12

2007 Rags to Riches 4-1 1st of 7

*Coupled or part of entry

THE RESULTS

Rags to Riches covered the 1 ½ miles in 2:28.74, well of Secretariat's track record of 2:24.

1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH

RAGS CURLIN TIAGO HARD CP 'CRAZY' SLEW'S

TO SPUN WEST GUY TIZZY

RICHES

Velazquez AlbaradoSmith Gomez Prado Guidry Bejarano

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

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